Decius wrote:

flynn23 wrote:
This is interesting because of motive. People probably don't realize this but Shell and BP are the biggest producers of solar and wind products in the world. With them exiting the market, I bet it's because they can't get the margins that they thought they'd get because of all the newcomers into the market. Biofuels are a smarter investment IMO, but carbon sequestration is a technical hack.

Well, that and biofuels are a liquid - which is better suited to the logistical knowledge and infrastructure of a company like Shell.

I don't think Shell knows much about production of these fuels. Which is what I think the Ag industry was trying to do with Ethanol. Muscle in on the oil company's turf. Shell knows how to refine and distribute, but it doesn't grow anything and it doesn't really harvest anything that's not 1000m under the ground. This is a perfect setup for a startup: taking the core-competencies of two distinct industries and melding them for value.

RE: Slashdot | Shell Ditches Wind, Solar, and Hydro